White - Personal Narrative #2

Does the writer provide an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention?

The introduction didn’t have the attention grabber that had imagined it would have.  Growing up around the lake I know what the feeling is of being out on the water early in the morning.  There are so many options for attentions getters with this idea.

Does the writer focus on significant events in his or her life rather than trying to narrate his or her entire life’s story? This story was unique because it was about the past experience of the lake as a kid, and the new experience of the lake as a father.  I feel as though the story would not be as complete if there was not an entire explanation of the life of his childhood at the lake.  It allows the reader to compare the two situations to what he is now experiencing as a father.

Do the descriptions of the characters or important objects in the memoirs include sensory details that help readers to visualize, hear, smell or feel them? Yes this story used excellent sensory details to depict the different experiences at the lake.  My favorite descriptor words were used when the lake was being described in the morning.  I agree with White, that there is nothing more memorable than the lake in the early morning.

Has the writer quoted speech or dialogue so as to reveal some important aspect of a character’s personality? Yes the writer gave an account of the experiences he had as a boy at the lake.  This gave the reader something to compare the two different perspectives too.

Does the writer narrate or describe events in a way that allows readers to connect them to experiences or relationships in their own lives? Yes, this story is something I had experienced growing up with as well.

Has the writer explained the significance of the people, events, places, or objects in shaping who he or she has become? Does this explanation make sense in relation to the events, people, places, and things described throughout the memoir? This is the best aspect of this story, because the writer tells us the images of what the lake use to look like and how it had or hasn’t change since then.

Does the writer provide a conclusion that reinforces the point of the story? Yes the conclusion gives a concrete feeling of a father son relationship.  This is a reoccurring theme throughout this story.